Of All the Gin Joints in All the World
by xthesebonesx
Summary: "It was like he was creating his own death wish; signing right on the dotted line. His fangs ached, his chest skipped as he tried to control what he was feeling, though he knew there was no such thing as "control" around Rebekah." Stebekah One Shots.
1. Chapter 1

**Of All the Gin Joints in All the World**

"Turn off the lights, and turn off the shyness,

'Cause all of our moves make up for the silence,

And oh, the way your makeup stains my pillowcase,

Like I'll never be the same,"

-Fall Out Boy

"She doesn't love you, you know," Stefan heard, as he placed his gin and tonic on the countertop, and folded his hands.

He sighed and continued staring off at the television that was playing in the background, drowning out the noise of this annoying bar, and the relentless Original Vampire sitting right next to him.

It was all Rebekah could talk about- Elena. She wanted to know everything about her, despite Klaus filling her in on anything she needed to know. She knew she was a doppelganger, she knew she was beautiful, and she knew she wasn't dead.

She also knew Stefan was still in love with her, and that this Damon Salvatore character was as well.

She wanted to know what made her so special- especially when it came to Stefan not being able to return her feelings, because he was stuck on this silly little human.

So she dug, most days- asking questions, and getting non-answers when Stefan skated around the inquiries, and begged to talk about something else- anything else.

But it always came back to this- she needed to know.

"Is that one of your super senses? Your being able to tell how other people feel towards _me_?" he asked, a bit gruffly, and the blonde didn't break her gaze.

Her big blue eyes, her sunkissed hair, that peach skin, and those full red lips- he couldn't help but turn to face her when he felt her eyes continuously burning a hole through him.

She was beautiful, no doubt- probably one of the most beautiful beings he had ever seen in his hundred-plus years on this Earth. She was graceful, she was cunning, she was _his _once upon a time; and he was hers.

She still believed he was hers.

"The Stefan _I _met back in 1920 wouldn't be fawning over some girl- some _human-_he would've been on to the next best thing," Rebekah quipped and he scoffed.

"I'm not _that _Stefan anymore, Rebekah."

Not entirely, anyway. True, he didn't enjoy the killing, but he did enjoy the lust.

The blonde pouted in her usual way before she threw a tantrum, but she didn't yell, to his surprise. She simply kept her eyes on his, forcing his green eyes to reconsider his last statement.

Did he _want _to be that Stefan, again? The care-free, cocky, party animal who didn't waste his time obsessing over things, _or people, _that couldn't engage him, right way? Did he want to be the Stefan who didn't give a damn about Elena and what she was inevitably going to do with his brother, while he was here, being the super hero in the background? Did he want to be the Stefan who remembered what it was like to enjoy blood and Rebekah's company, as he fell deeper and deeper in love with her, because she accepted him for what he was?

"Maybe you should be- because this Stefan's boring," she answered bluntly, seemingly reading his mind, as she stood up from her seat, and her heels clicked against the wooden floor.

Stefan sighed as she slowly walked over to his stool, and stood behind him. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, and nestled her head near his ear.

She smelled like a mixture of champagne and pomegranate, and her smooth hands glided across the skin of his neck, and down the front of his chest, threatening to sneak beneath his shirt.

She hadn't being drinking, but she was behaving as if she had been.

His undead heart began racing, and he could sense Rebekah's grin, even though he couldn't see it.

"Don't you remember what you felt for me in Chicago, Mr. Salvatore? What do I have to do to have you carrying a torch for me, again?" Rebekah whispered lightly, with her thick accent dragging out every single word, as they replayed over and over in his mind.

Her voice was smooth and seductive- not like Katherine's, but something _far _richer.

He did remember, and it haunted him as he tried to put the pieces together in his mind- Katherine and Elena were _not _the only women he loved. He loved Rebekah, too- probably with the most passion, and undoubtedly with the most fire.

Katherine was his first love- she was his first everything. She taught him the game of cat and mouse, and he quickly became indebted to the way she made him feel. Being with Katherine taught him devotion, and devoted, he was, as he died to "save" her life.

His first love story sucked.

Elena was another story- she became his first _innocent _love. Virtue, romance, trust, and selflessness- he learned it all while he was with her. Stefan was convinced this was what the books talked about when they spoke of _true_ love- what he and Elena already experienced in their short, but hectic relationship was real.

So why was he second-guessing it? What did Rebekah mean to him?

She stood for recklessness and she didn't stand for rules- she was his whirlwind romance. Elegant in the way she swept him off of his feet, and sexy in the way she heightened and ignited everything inside of him, when he met her. She taught him to live free, or _kill_ trying. She taught him that he liked intensity, and he craved attention, no matter how hard he tried-and was still trying- to fight hers.

"I'm not sure there's anything you can do," he lied, and she rolled her eyes.

"I'm sure I could just compel you," she said quietly, dragging a finger across his ear.

"What would be the fun in that?" he asked dryly, though he felt more and more intrigued by the passing second.

Rebekah slowly unraveled her arms from around his, and crossed them, as she stood there in a signature scowl, while he turned his stool around to finally face her.

She may have been the Original, here, but he was apparently the one with all the power.

It made him smile, and Rebekah pursed her lips. The next thing he did even puzzled himself, as he took her hand, and rubbed his thumb across it gently. He pulled it up to his lips, and kissed her skin softly.

Her hard expression seemed to soften, and he continued, as he kissed a trail up her arm, before she quickly swatted him away.

"I thought you wanted me to be more affectionate?" Stefan asked, and she glared at him.

"You're being mean."

"How?"

"Because you're being a tease."

Stefan slightly acknowledged that- he was teasing her and he was enjoying it. He didn't want to talk about Elena or think about Katherine, or do anything Rebekah was forcing him to do while they sat in this bar.

Tonight, he wanted to be _Fun Stefan. _If she wanted 1920 all over again, she was going to get it.

"Forgive my rudeness, Rebekah," he said genuinely, because he knew she could sense it if he was lying.

His apology seemed to satisfy her, as a quaint smile appeared across her lips as she studied him, and he only stared back, awaiting her response.

"Kiss me, Stefan. And do it like you actually _mean _it, this time," Rebekah requested, and he bit his bottom lip as he registered her words. "Unless you're afraid it'll change things between you and Elena," she added a bit tauntingly, and he rose an eyebrow.

"Why would it change things?" he asked curiously, and she moved in closer towards him, as their faces were about an inch apart, and she spoke lowly.

He knew exactly why it would change things- if he kissed Rebekah, and he actually _meant _it this time, he was in danger of falling faster and deeper into something he could no longer control.

"Because the torch you were carrying for me never burnt out," she said softly, as his eyes followed the curve of her lips.

He suddenly felt like their was a magnetic pull between them as he sat there; his eyes drowning in hers and suddenly captured by those golden streaks.

Stefan placed a hand on her neck and traced his sight across her skin; admiring the way her shimmery gray blouse seemed to make her blue eyes look a little less bright, and a lot more smoldering. He admired the way her locks fell exactly to the nape of her neck- carefully tucked behind her ear.

Her eyes were pulling his back to hers.

Rebekah stood there, contemplatively, as his fingers stroked her skin and he felt little shockwaves running through his tips the longer he did this. Resistance was damn near _painful. _

"I'm sure that it has burnt out," he denied, and her eyebrow rose softly.

"Prove it."

Stefan exhaled a deep breath, and slowly pulled her in closer, to where his forehead was slightly against hers, and the sweet scent of champagne and pomegranate became even more overwhelming as it intoxicated him. He'd never felt so powerful, _yet so weak, _before, and he couldn't fathom what it was about her that did this to him, every single time they had these "talks."

He knew he was pushing it, getting so dangerously close just to prove a point- it was like he was creating his own death wish; signing right on the dotted line.

His fangs ached, his chest skipped as he tried to control what he was feeling, though he knew there was no such thing as "control" around Rebekah.

This was unbearable.

Stefan suddenly inhaled her lips into his, and Rebekah sighed against him, draping her arms around him easily, as he finally gave in and gave _her _what she wanted-_because it was what he wanted, too. _

His tongue ran across her mouth before it entwined with hers, and she gripped onto him tighter, though he was the one who desperately needed some leverage.

Kissing her was everything he remembered- raw, uninhibited emotion, and he quickly remembered why she was the most intriguing of the three, as she pulled her lips away from his, and forced him to draw her back in for another kiss- and another, and so on.

She was baiting him- and he was taking it.

He fingered her blonde locks, then caressed her perfect cheek bones, quickly become more and more inebriated off the kiss. Stefan felt like his world was on fire, but he didn't give a damn about it- all he cared about was this, in this very moment.

Her lips against his, her hand on his cheek, the other tightly grasping at his collarbone- he felt wanted; he felt _alive._

When Rebekah's lips parted from his, he still gripped onto her curls, breathing slowly as he looked into her eyes, and she grinned at him, before chastely kissing him again.

"Let's go," he said, a bit urgently, as he rose from his chair, and she giggled when he grabbed her hand, and they quickly escaped the bar, barely able to keep their lips off of one another.

Rebekah taught him passion.

**A/N: Hello, all! So, I emailed the characters dept. and they FINALLY added some of the new season 3 people (including Rebekah) for our lovely amusement- I am so excited to be able to write fics for her, now! Anyway, this was just a one shot (because seriously, I have so many stories haha) and I felt like writing about something I think Stefan feels for her that he doesn't feel for Katherine or Elena yet. Agree? Disagree? Too hot or bothered to think? Haha R&R! :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you all so much for reading, and enjoying :) I've decided to continue this, only as a series of semi-unrelated one-shots about Stebekah (official name, hahaha), and it'll only be updated when the two inspire me. This one takes place after episode 3x05 (The Reckoning) so, if you haven't seen it, there are spoilers, so beware! Anyway, read, review, and enjoy!**

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><p><strong>There's a Light that Never Goes Out<strong>

"So, your brother and the doppelganger- that's lovely," Rebekah said, as she lay back propped up on her elbows on Stefan's bed, as he buttoned his shirt in the mirror.

When he walked in on Damon and Elena's conversation a week ago, and he heard Damon promising never to leave Elena's side again, he wanted to rip his _fucking_ throat out; not because _cared_, but because he was annoyed, and he was on edge.

That night in the gym when Klaus compelled him was, without a doubt, the hardest night of his life. The look in Elena's eyes when he told her to "run," and the screams that escaped her throat when his teeth sunk into her throat- they replayed over and over in his mind.

He never wanted to do that; he didn't want to hurt her, but he was _forced _to. Needless to say, it would've angered him more, _a lot more, _if he were allowed to care.

But he wasn't- as far as he was concerned, what he and Elena had was as _dead _as he was.

"What do you think of this one?" he asked, ignoring her remark, and turning to face the blonde to show her his new shirt.

"Why are you getting all dolled up? We're just going to school," she said hastily and he shrugged.

"So, what, that means I shouldn't put my best foot forward? It's senior year," he said with a grin and she rolled her eyes.

Truth was, he couldn't give a shit about Mystic Falls High School or it's senior year- but as per Klaus' orders, he was to keep an eye on Elena, and what better way to do that than _look after her at school?_

Rebekah was still around to make sure that he actually did it, and didn't defy them, again.

"You're just pretending you don't care about Elena; it's not going to work," she said bluntly.

"I don't care about anything or anyone, Rebekah," he replied.

"Not even me?" she challenged, as she twirled a blonde strand of her hair.

"Not even you. You have your brother to thank for that," he answered and she let out an exasperated breath.

"You don't have to care about me to be _attracted _to me."

Stefan continued to fix the collar in his shirt, as he thought about Rebekah's words.

Ever since she'd met Elena, she had been going off on some crazy, jealousy kick. If the words coming from her mouth weren't nasty insults about the _doppelganger bitch, _they were about Stefan focusing his attention on _her. _Surely, he thought after Rebekah realized everything about Elena, regarding her still being alive, and having to _keep _her alive to create more of Klaus's hybrids, she'd hate him forever and banish him from her thoughts.

But she hadn't.

If anything, it made her try even harder- Rebekah seemed to _crave _his attention, even more, now that she met Elena, and it was a bit intriguing.

Maybe she saw it as a competition, maybe she saw it as a game. Either way, Stefan was just along for the ride at this point. Or so he told himself.

"I'm a _ripper, _Rebekah. The only thing on my mind is _blood,_" he said, and the blonde sighed.

"For a ripper, you're a bit stuffy," she noted, and he turned around to look at her.

She had a challenging smirk on her face, as her long legs cascaded over his sheets, highlighted by the shorts she was wearing. Her blonde curls fell down her back, and her skin looked smooth, as she seemed to glow in the early morning sunlight.

"For such a powerful Original, you're a bit of a whiner," he said, and Rebekah was instantly to her feet with her hands wrapped around his throat, and his body slammed against the wall.

He could hardly breathe as the blonde snarled in his face, with deep red eyes and piercing fangs emerging from her mouth.

"Keep testing me, Mr. Salvatore, and I won't hesitate to send a stake straight through your heart, servant to my brother, or not. I believe I've shown you I mean business," she whispered, as she tightened her grip across his throbbing vein.

"Oh, that crowbar through the stomach thing? Pretty weak," he taunted in a strained voice, as he remembered that night, and she frowned as she pushed him harder, and dug her fingernails into his skin, as she stared into his emerald eyes.

"You're lying, I hurt you."

"How can you tell? Oh, that's right, you're _flawless intuition _doesn't work against me anymore, because I _don't _feel a thing," he said and she scrunched her brows in a scowl as she looked up at him. "Not for you, not for anyone. It seems that Klaus compelling me not to feel screwed you over. I wonder if he did it on purpose," he spat, and she sent her palm across his cheek, as a loud slap echoed in his room.

Rebekah eyed him intently before she released her grip and turned around to walk away, but Stefan grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her in closely towards him.

"Oh, are you mad? You have to _care_ to be mad, right?" she asked angrily, as she cocked her head, and he only let out a low growl through his lips. "C'mon, we're going to be late for class. I wouldn't want your little doppelganger to get away from you," she urged, and her speech was cut off when he pressed his lips to hers.

Stefan placed his hands on her face to hold her close, and Rebekah moaned against his mouth as his tongue enveloped hers during the urgent kiss. He breathed heavily when he pulled away, and Rebekah stared back at him for a few seconds before she smirked.

_Got him._

In a flash, they were on the bed, and he hovered over her, with deep red eyes, and a lusty expression that would've been enough to send anybody over the edge.

"Someone's bold," she said, and Rebekah looked up at him curiously. "You react when you're provoked, good to know," she said and he inhaled slowly as he brought a hand to her cheek and caressed it slowly.

"You're unmistakably good at that," he said lowly, and she pursed her pink lips.

"Don't be nasty," she quipped, and he placed his mouth on her throat, slowly kissing across her skin.

"Are you sure about that, Bex? Because I can be _really nasty,_" he whispered, and she bit her lip as his teeth grazed her skin.

Without another word, Stefan's shirt was off as Rebekah tore through the buttons, and he fingered the zipper on her shorts after he grabbed her thighs and ran his hands roughly across her skin.

His kisses trailed up her throat to her jawbone, and Rebekah gripped his brown hair tightly before she pulled his face into hers, and joined her tongue with his. Stefan pulled away long enough to nibble at her ear, and she moaned against his shoulder as she clutched onto his bare back.

Rebekah flipped him beneath her, and he yanked her blouse over head with ease as she straddled his lip, gripping her chest and running his fingertips along her skin.

He paused for a second to run his fingers through her curls, as they stared at one another. Her soft, big, blue eyes were something magical, the way they glowed against her skin. Perfectly round, and equally curious, her eyes were probably Stefan's favorite thing about her.

Rebekah interrupted his thoughts when she ran her finger across his sculpted shoulders slowly, all the way up to his lips. He caught her finger lightly with his teeth, and she grinned.

"Keep looking at me that way, and I'll have to tell Nick that his compulsions are rusty, and you haven't completely turned it off," she warned, pulling her finger away, as he gripped her waist aggressively.

"Who says I haven't turned it off? Besides, you wouldn't dare, you're having too much fun," he taunted with a devilish grin.

She smiled when he moved her beneath him again, and reached for the buckle on his jeans.

He didn't know what he felt for Rebekah; desperation, love, passion, hungriness, or sheer boredom- either way, he decided he was going to have fun exploring it.

His thoughts were cut short when the door abruptly opened, and Stefan huffed as he stared at Damon's demanding eyes that glanced between his brother, and the woman in his bed.

The raven-haired man crossed his arms as he leaned cockily against the doorframe, with an eyebrow raised, and Stefan stared at him, just as intently.

"Do you mind, Damon?"

"No, I don't, actually.

"Well, I do," Rebekah said, as she pushed Stefan off of her, and sat up, staring at Damon nastily.

"Shouldn't you be at Mystic Falls High, getting your stalker on, with Elena?" Damon asked, staring at his brother.

Stefan ran his tongue across his teeth.

"And shouldn't you be there as well, 'never leaving her side, ever again?'" Stefan asked, mimicking his brother's words from the other day.

"Consider me tactful. I figured I should be keeping an eye on you as well," Damon said.

"You can also consider yourself annoying," Rebekah chimed in, as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Aw, thanks Rebekah, I've been waiting for to give me a glowing review," Damon said sarcastically. "Anyway, I think that you should thank me, Stefan. Just because you've turned it off doesn't mean you won't be able to eventually turn it back on, and regret everything that you're doing right now," Damon said and Stefan stared at him quietly, as if he were considering his words. "But please, don't let me interrupt you," Damon said with a knowing smirk, before he walked out, and shut the door behind him.

Rebekah looked to Stefan and he scratched his hair before he got up and fetched his shirt from the ground.

"You're not going to let his mind games get to you, are you?" she demanded, as he slipped his arms through the sleeves of his shirt, and worked on the tiny buttons after he adjusted his collar.

"Time to go, Rebekah. Your brother gave me a job to do," Stefan said, and she raised an eyebrow when he tossed her the blouse that he worked so quickly to help her get off.

"Stefan, you're clearly letting your brother influence your judgement," Rebekah answered, and sighed as he pulled on his jeans, and rebuckled the belt.

"How many times have we been over this, Rebekah? To have some sort of 'judgement,' I'd have to be able to _care, _and that I don't. Now, get dressed."

Rebekah watched in awe as he slipped on his shoes, and exited the room, leaving her all alone.

He didn't care, not about Elena, not about Damon, and especially not about Rebekah- _he swore that he couldn't. _


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hello all! First and foremost, thank you all so much for the encouragement in doing these one shots, I greatly appreciate it. I haven't written much because sadly, the writers/producers aren't giving me much of a Stebekah storyline to work with. I did manage to create something, though, set after episode 3x08 when Elena tells Rebekah that Klaus killed her mother. Review if you like!**

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><p><strong>Everybody Breaks a Glass<strong>

"_We all pretend to keep our tongue out of our cheek,_

_Everyone's the fool they seek,_

_We all go off the track, and feel for our way back,_

_Everybody breaks a glass"_

_-Lights_

Stefan walked into his bedroom and sighed as he pulled off his jacket, and threw it on his chair.

It had been a long day, and night, between going out with Damon to the bar, and finally being confronted by the big, bad, Mikael himself. The plan they agreed upon was that Stefan would find a way to lure Klaus back to Mystic Falls, where his father would then take care of the rest.

This plan meant _freedom, _in Stefan's eyes.

No longer would he be forced not to care, but he could finally be in control of _himself _again, god-willing everything went right.

He sat down on his bed and inhaled slowly as he contemplated a way to get around his compulsion, and effectively make Klaus believe that it was safe to come back.

Before he could think too hard, though, he heard the sounds of a soft whimpering coming from the other side of the wall. Stefan slowly stood up, and walked over towards the direction of the sound, and just listened.

For a brief minute, he thought it could have been Elena, until he realized that his brother wasn't home, therefore, the doppelganger would have no reason to stick around.

That only left one other person that the quiet sobs could belong to.

Stefan stood there for a minute more, contemplating what to do about this.

Should he ignore it? Should he comfort her? Should he call Damon, and make him handle it?

Even in the fit of his "non-caring" phase, Stefan had slipped up, and he _did _care, so he decided number one wasn't an option. As for calling Damon? He'd had enough of his snarkiness for one day, and the longer he got a break from it, the better.

Stefan instinctively walked out of his room, and towards hers. He was hesitant to knock her door- he knew Rebekah had a temper and the last thing he needed was her provoking him when he was just _trying _to be a decent housemate.

He swallowed his pride, and firmly knocked the door before him.

"Rebekah," he called. "Is everything okay?"

He heard the crying abruptly stop, but he made out the sounds of her sniffling and wiping away her tears.

_"Go away, Stefan. I don't want to be bothered," she replied strongly._

Stefan exhaled deeply as he crossed his arms, and he rolled his eyes.

_Well that was useless._

He began to walk away, but something inside of him stopped him, again- maybe it was his conscious that he swore he didn't have anymore. Whatever it was, it made him knock her door again, a little more firmly, and he waited for her to acknowledge him once more.

The door suddenly swung open, and Stefan was met with an angry, but defeated expression as the blonde stood before him with red eyes, and tear-stained cheeks.

She had been visibly crying for hours, he guessed, and he didn't know why, but Rebekah's hurting stirred something inside of him.

She looked so tragically upset, and though he told himself that this girl was the epitome of _drama queens, _he decided he didn't want to see her like this- so _broken._

"I thought I told you I didn't want to be bothered," she huffed, and Stefan stuffed his hands in pockets, and shrugged.

"Well, _I'm _gonna be bothered for as long as your wallowing in self-pity, because it's gonna ruin my beauty rest," he said and she scoffed as she rolled her eyes, and wiped a few stray tears from her perfectly pale cheekbones.

"I'll try to mourn quieter then," she relinquished, and she went to shut the door in his face.

He stopped her.

Rebekah glared at him angrily, and Stefan moved further in.

"Tell me why you're upset, and I'll leave you alone."

Rebekah inhaled deeply, as if she were on the verge of telling him to _fuck off, _but she didn't. Instead, she stepped aside, and gestured for him to come in. Stefan quietly moved past her into the guest bedroom, and he turned around to face her as Rebekah locked the door behind them.

The room was a wreck.

The sheets were torn off the bed, the pillows were seared in half, and various things were either knocked over, or thrown to the ground.

"Damon's going to have a fit," Stefan noted, and Rebekah rolled her eyes as she plopped down on her bed, and folded her arms.

"I don't care. If he really wanted to salvage the room, he probably shouldn't have sent his little girlfriend over here to deliver the news about my brother," she spat and Stefan immediately knew what was going on. "She just came over and told me that Nick killed my mother, as if I was supposed to be strong about that and immediately jump on her side or something!" Rebekah exclaimed, and Stefan remained silent as the blonde tapped her foot anxiously. "What am I supposed to do, Stefan? What the hell is expected of me now?" she asked.

Stefan went to respond, but he stopped himself.

He completely agreed with Rebekah. The way that it sounded like Elena broke the news was damn near awful, and even in his state of _not caring, _he believed that could have been done in a better way.

Telling Rebekah should have never been to get her on anyone's "side;" it should have been solely for Rebekah's _sake. _Using the information in such a way to simply sway her loyalty was a piss-poor move by Elena, in his opinion, and even though Klaus was a monster that took _everything _away from him, he understood what Rebekah was feeling.

She felt betrayed, and she felt used by the _one person _she'd spent her entire life running with, looking after, feeling for- her big brother.

And she was disappointed- she was _distraught, _because the only person that she believed in only garnered her trust and loyalty by _taking _it, rather than earning it.

Klaus hurt her more than he would ever know.

Stefan finally sat down on the bed next to Rebekah, and he watched as she shook her head, trying to avoid her tears, but they were already happening.

He watched as she tried to catch the flurry of teardrops as they fell from her cheeks, but they moved too rapidly, even for an Original.

That only made her cry even more- even _harder- _because she couldn't stop it; she couldn't shut it off, no matter how hard she tried. She had literally opened up the floodgates to her heart, and there was no stopping now.

Stefan softly placed a hand on her cheek, and erased the tears away with his thumb.

They fell too quickly, even for him.

He reluctantly drew her into his arms, and his listened as Rebekah let out an eruption of tears onto his shoulder, and he felt as the water soaked through his favorite t-shirt.

"Mikael did this to him," she said softly and Stefan remained silent as he waited for her to speak again. "My father turned him into a monster- he turned us all into monsters. He never loved us, he especially never loved Nick," Rebekah said quietly, and Stefan held her even tighter.

He knew what that felt like, too; having a hateful father who didn't truly love anybody but _himself_. It was truly heartbreaking in every sense of the word.

"I hate him, Stefan. I hate them all, so much," she said, muffled against his body, and he exhaled as his hands cupped her blonde locks, and brushed them gently. "All I ever wanted was my mother- and they took her away from me."

He knew what it was like not to have a mother when you really needed her, too.

The more Rebekah spoke, the more he felt closer to her- he was starting to understand who she was, and why she turned out the way she did.

She was just a girl- just a _lost _girl who never really had anyone to depend on, and nobody to ever truly care for her enough to tell her the truth.

Stefan couldn't help but hold a small place in his heart for her- the girl who was truly _alone _when it came down to it, the girl who never really had the chance to grow up and adapt because she was locked away for so long, the girl who never did anything half-assed, and that included giving away her heart; she was the girl he once loved.

And because he loved her, he had to tell her the truth- and not for himself, but because she needed to know.

"Rebekah," he finally said, and she pulled away from his shoulder to look into his emerald green eyes, with her long, dark lashes, and her tearful expression. "I have to tell you something," he said and she continued to gaze at him that way that told him she was already expecting the worse.

"What is it, Stefan?" she asked.

He let out a long breath, and fidgeted quietly with his hands before he looked back into her eyes- _her dazzling blue eyes._

"I-" he began, and he stopped when he placed a hand on her cheek, and touched her smooth skin again. "I have to just do this, first," he said, and before Rebekah could reply, his lips were pressed to hers.

He knew that he caught her by surprise by the slight gasp that escaped her mouth, but she quickly formed into the kiss and melted into him, as he melted into her.

He couldn't stop kissing her.

Stefan's strong hands gripped her blonde hair, and her hand held around his neck as the burst of passion between them continued; again, and again, and again.

His tongue overlapping hers, her soft pink lips commanding his- the heat between them was undeniable as Stefan felt himself fall further and further- as far as his _non-emotions _would allow him.

Rebekah gripped his face when their lips departed from the anxious kiss, and he breathed slowly trying to catch his breath, as did she. He pressed his forehead against hers, and smoothed her hair back as she shut her eyes, and quietly recovered.

"Rebekah," he began again, and she opened her eyes to look into his- he almost crumbled when she did.

He didn't want to be one of those people who _hurt her, _but he had to.

"Yes, Stefan?"she asked softly, with her eyes shining.

He was really going to struggle with this- he never imagined it'd be so hard to tell her what he needed to say, but it was- it was so damn hard.

Stefan leaned in, and placed a single kiss on her lips, leaving Rebekah breathless once more. He pulled away slowly, but still allowed his lips to linger over hers, and his fingers trailed up and down her back.

_"I love you, Rebekah," he whispered, and a quaint smile appeared on her face, through the tears._

Damn his humanity for getting in the way- damn him for falling in love when he said he wouldn't, and damn her for being _the one _he fell for.

But he had to tell her- she needed to know that somebody loved her, even if that somebody was him. She needed to hear it, and he needed to say it- just so she knew.

Telling her that Mikael was back could wait until tomorrow- because right now, he wanted to be in love.

_"Somewhere, perfection lies- but not for you and I."_


End file.
